Princeton
Princeton University – Rankings and Review
Princeton is one of the eight Ivy League universities and traditionally its ranking reputation is in the top 3 or 4 of that elite group. It is one of the oldest universities – founded in 1746. As such, you can imagine it’s alumni were instrumental in founding the United States, counting among them James Madison, the primary author of the Constitution. Reflecting this pedigree, its current mission statement emphasizes that, “Princeton University has a longstanding commitment to service, reflected in Princeton’s informal motto — Princeton in the nation’s service and the service of humanity — and exemplified by the extraordinary contributions that Princetonians make to society.” (quoting Christopher L. Eisgruber, President). .
Traditionally, Princeton ranks high in ranking methodologies, and also has ranked high in some of the RealRank ratings we have done. It is aided in our ranking methodologies by its broad academics, with colleges of Engineering and Architecture, unlike some of the old-line private universities. This ranks it well on academic breadth and reputation scores, while still lagging in economic and social diversity factors. While there are no official fraternities or sororities, upper class students typically associate with one of the eleven on-campus eating clubs. On campus students live in six residential “colleges.”
Princeton is located in the quaint college town of the same name, Princeton, New Jersey. In recent years, a high tech business hub has grown up in central New Jersey in the vicinity of its campus and Rutgers, which is a few miles away in New Brunswick. High Tech and biotech companies locating in the area seek to take advantage of the talent pool of students graduating from these universities. And, we have found a lot of school spirit, as the sports teams and alumni are known as Princeton Tigers. The school colors, orange and black, reflect continue the tiger theme.
The Basics
Location | Princeton, New Jersey |
Official Website | Princeton |
Nickname | Princeton Tigers |
School Colors | Orange & Black |
Athletic Conference | Ivy League |
RealRank Ranking Categories
Reputation | Platinum |
Renown | Platinum |
Diversity Success | Silver |
Sports Renown | NI |
Tuition Profile | High Cost. |
Endowment | Platinum |
Alumni Engagement | Platinum |
Key: Platinum: Elite Class; Gold: Very good; Silver: Successful, with room to improve;
Bronze: Mid to low range; NI: Needs improvement.
Academic Profile
Academic Range | Broad, but lacking most professional schools. |
Professional Schools: | |
Architecture | Yes |
Business | No |
Dental | No |
Engineering | Yes |
Law | No |
Medical | No |
Nursing | No |
Core Science Breadth | Yes |
Arts, Social Sciences & Humanities Breadth | Yes |
Human Sciences / Education | Yes |
Public Health / Urban Policy | Yes |
Renowned Alumni
Here are some of the famous alumni of Princeton who you may have heard of. Are there any others you would add to this list?
- Jeff Bezos – Founder of Amazon.
- Bill Bradley – NBA forward with New York Knicks.
- Dean Cain – Actor.
- Ted Cruz – U.S. Senator from Texas.
- David Duchovny – Actor.
- John Foster Dulles – former U.S. Secretary of State; Dulles Airport name.
- Richard Feynman – Physicist.
- F. Scott Fitzgerald – Novelist; author of The Great Gatsby (did not graduate).
- Lee Iacocca – Automobile developer and CEO of Chrysler.
- Malcom Forbes Sr. – Founder of Forbes magazine.
- Malcolm Stevenson “Steve” Forbes Jr. – Publisher of Forbes magazine, and son of its founder.
- Noor Al-Hussein – Queen of Jordan.
- Elena Kagan – Justice of U.S. Supreme Court.
- Larry Lucchino – Lawyer and CEO of Boston Red Sox.
- James Madison – 4th President of the United States, co-author of Federalist Papers and principal author of the U.S. Constitution.
- James S. McDonnell – Founder of McDonnell Aircraft.
- Ralph Nader – Consumer advocate and independent candidate for U.S. President.
- Michelle Obama – Former First Lady of the United States.
- David Petraeus – former Director of CIA and U.S. General.
- Louis Rukeyser – business commentator and former host of Wall Street Week.
- Donald Rumsfeld – U.S. Secretary of Defense.
- Eric Schmidt – CEO of Google.
- Brooke Shields – Fashion model and actress.
- Ira Siegler – Attorney.
- Sonya Sotomayor – Justice of U.S. Supreme Court.
- James “Jimmy” Stewart – Actor.
- Katrina vanden Heuvel – Publisher of The Nation.
- Meg Whitman – Former CEO of Ebay and Hewlett-Packard.
- George Will – Political commentator.
- Woodrow Wilson – Former President of the United States and advocate of League of Nations.
- Tamon Yamaguchi – Rear Admiral of Japanese Imperial Navy in World War II.
Who else would you add to this list?
Most Popular Majors
The most popular majors at Princeton include the following, in decreasing order of popularity. This ordering may change slightly from year-to-year.
- Social Sciences
- Engineering
- Computer Science
- Biology
- Public Administration and Social Services
- History
- Languages and literature.
Princeton Rankings